How Full Is Your Bucket For Kids by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer celebrates emotional intelligence. It’s a heavy lift made possible with metaphor. Emotional well-being is represented by a full bucket of water floating above a person’s head. An empty bucket characterizes bad feelings. Of course, this bucket is invisible to everyone except the main character, Felix, and the reader. Felix is delighted with this insight. When Felix suddenly “sees” buckets hovering above the heads of everyone at recess, he’s elated. It’s a gift to become more emotionally intelligent. When he chooses to help fill a few empty buckets—help a few people feel better—his own bucket fills too. With his new knowledge, Felix chooses to be kind to his classmates, his sister, and even his dog. The visually effective illustrations by Maurie J. Manning clearly communicate the story’s message.
